Bill would allow a municipal managers' union

White-collar municipal employees could unionize and fight an order barring them from accruing compensatory time under an ordinance introduced in the Baltimore City Council last night.

Councilman Anthony J. Ambridge, a 2nd District Democrat, introduced the bill on behalf of some 800 municipal employees who are currently barred from organizing.

Many are upset with a new policy that limits the amount of severance pay bureaucrats receive when they leave city employment. The order, which goes into effect in January, is aimed at 415 employees who are paid more than $50,000 a year.

The city's 1,240 white-collar employees are currently represented by the Managerial and Professional Society. The group can negotiate pay raises but can't represent employees in violations of their rights, such as filing grievances, Mr. Ambridge said.